A/N; I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while! It's been hectic in my house with Summer coming and lots of things going on in my life as well as a review that had me losing hope in this story. I want to make it clear that at this point, Hellia and Cobra have known each other for about 3 weeks, meaning that they've had time to get to bond a bit. With the whole magic thing being involved, obviously their relationship will be moving much faster than a usual one would and that's simply how I write these kinds of stories. If you don't like how domineering Cobra is, I would suggest not reading... well, anything with him in it, honestly. He's a domineering man and having a woman who can tread as lightly around him as Hellia does would be the balance that he needs {as seen at the end of this chapter}. Don't like how I write? Don't read my stories, because I'm really not going to change it and I couldn't care less if bad reviewers want to make me feel as though I'm bad at what I do.
Sorry for the rant, I'm a bit moody about those details. Anyways! I have a spin-off started for Bijou and will be posting the first chapter by the end of the week. I also have another OC who will be making an appearance soon and, again, another spin-off dedicated to her. If we have three slayers without mates, we need three women who will fill that spot, no?
Enjoy the chapter, dearies!
Word Count: 2,986
It took a bit before Hellia convinced Bijou to go into the cabin so that she could shower and put on fresh clothing, leaving Cobra to go back to the mines and make sure that the men who'd been involved with the murders were still unconscious. The raven haired woman made tea in the small kitchenette while she waited for Bijou to finish, frowning over the idea that this woman would take a very long time to cope with the loss of her family. If there was anything Hellia knew about the guild she'd been a part of for the last two and a half weeks, it was that they were a great family full of boisterous energy and worked hard to keep every person within the guild happy- even if she herself hadn't had much time around the guild as she and Cobra had been traveling and he was determined to keep her away from the other male slayers.
Hellia sighed, thinking about how she wanted to get to know the other members of the guild, though she knew that it wasn't likely to happen until she'd been fully mated to the domineering man whom she had extremely deep feelings for. She'd decided that asking him questions about his past was not a great idea, even though she had found out that he'd been born in the Tower just as she had been, except a few years before. He was twenty-five and would have been five years old when Hellia had been born, his birthday somewhere near Christmas which Lucy had supposedly begun celebrating his birthday exactly one week prior to the holiday.
She didn't know her own birthday exactly, only that it was sometime near the summer solstice, a time when the sun was closest to Earthland and had given her magic the link to the light that it had wound up with. When Cobra had asked if she would be comfortable with Lucy determining her birthday the way the blonde had done for him, Hellia had been quick to agree, knowing that Lucy wouldn't let her not celebrate it as the woman seemed to be more stubborn than the Poison Dragon Slayer was- and that was really saying something because Cobra could be a pain in the ass when he wanted to be.
The small woman took the steaming kettle off of the stove, pouring it into a pair of cups that had tea bags already placed into them. She moved the tray into the small sitting area where she sat down to wait for the other woman, casting her eyes around the room to take in the many paintings that were everywhere- stacked against the table, hanging on walls, piled on the floor. It seemed that art was Bijou's outlet the way that reading was Hellia's, though Bijou's was arguably more useful, in the long run.
The purplette walked into the room wearing a pair of gray sweat pants and a white tank top that were both splattered with paint. Her shaggy lavender hair was damp, but pulled back into a stubby ponytail at the base of her neck with stray hairs joining the thick bangs that hooded over her eyes. Even with the hollow cheeks and dark circles, she was beautiful in a way that had Hellia's jealousy budding back to life at how she could look so much like the stunning artist even at what was likely the lowest point in her life.
"I made some tea," Hellia offered, smiling at the woman as she seemed to hesitate before sitting on one of the worn chairs.
Bijou accepted the tea, adding nothing to it as she sipped lightly and kept her eyes glued to the ground as if she were unsure how to deal with the situation. It didn't bother Hellia that she was silent, the shorter woman simply wanting to offer some form of comfort to the other and knew that she simply needed time before she would be comfortable around her. Hellia knew that she herself had been withdrawn after losing her mother in a gruesome way, sympathizing with the other woman because she'd felt it was her fault that the woman had died the way that Bijou felt her family's demise was her own fault.
They sat in silence for a short while until the cabin's door opened to reveal Cobra entering with the bag that they shared slung over his shoulder. "Rune Knights are questioning the fuckers," He said as he tossed down the bag and flopped onto the couch with his head in Hellia's lap. "We'll be going to assist in the arrest tomorrow and collecting the reward from the sick fuck before the Knights get there. I didn't do all that damn work without getting paid."
"Did you call the guild?" Hellia asked as she ran her fingers through the slayer's thick hair- a habit she'd picked up that he didn't seem to ever mind her doing as they spoke to each other.
"Demon's open to help at the bar with Kina," Cobra replied, his gaze flickering over to the purplette who would be returning to the guild with them when all was said and done. "You'll be staying with the future guildmaster and his woman til you get on your feet."
"Not you two?" Bijou asked so quietly that Hellia wasn't certain she'd heard her speak until Cobra snorted.
"We're not hanging around those idiots for long," The slayer said, closing his eyes as Hellia continued running her fingers through his hair.
"What he means is that we're busy taking jobs to stay out and about due to some… particular circumstances," Hellia revised, tapping the man on the forehead with her finger to get him to stop being an ass to the shy woman. The tactic didn't work in the slightest when she saw a smirk tug at his lips and she subconsciously licked her own as she imagined the heated kiss they'd shared the night prior on the beach before his lacrama had pinged telling them that there was another job that Mira had found for them.
Hellia shook the thoughts away, this was no time to be thinking about that when there was an emotional woman not five feet from where they were. The man was turning her into some kind of deviant and she wasn't sure she liked that idea, as tantalizing as it all was. She refocused on the frowning face of Bijou and tapped her fingers lightly on Cobra's temple, silently telling him that the situation was a bit more sensitive. He wouldn't allow the woman's thoughts to dictate how he treated her, but Hellia knew that she was his soft spot and he wouldn't do anything to upset her- for the most part.
"Bright Eyes is cool," Cobra muttered opening his eyes again as he seemed to frown about something. "And she keeps her idiot in line. You'll be fine with them."
Bijou said nothing, her gaze locked onto the cup of tea in her hands as the trio lapsed into silence once more. There was something about this woman that seemed oddly familiar to Hellia and she couldn't quite place what it was that was nagging at the back of her mind. She was very perceptive- having spent a lot of time feeling like an outsider looking in on every social encounter she'd ever had until she'd met Cobra- but there was no way for her to tell why this woman had a familiarity about her. She'd have to think more on it, she supposed.
"You should try to get some rest," Hellia offered to the obviously exhausted woman. "We're going to be busy tomorrow."
The purplette nodded ever-so-slightly before standing up and placing the half-empty cup onto the tray that Hellia had used for the tea. She looked around a moment, seeming to think about something before looking back towards the two Fairy Tail mages. Her frown and the quick wary glance towards the cabin door spoke volumes which had Hellia nudging Cobra's head off of her lap so she could stand as well.
"It'll be alright," She promised, putting her hands onto the taller woman's shoulders and giving her the most sincere of smiles. "We're going to make sure those dirt bags pay for what they've done and you can work on putting yourself back together. I'll only be a shout away, Cobra will hear no matter how quiet and he'll let me know so I can come help you, okay?"
A look that seemed almost relieved flickered over Bijou's face before she moved away from the raven haired woman and walked down the hall. A gentle click was heard as the door was shut and Hellia let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding when she felt Cobra's arms wrap around her from behind, his lips brushing against her exposed shoulder.
When it came time to leave the cabin the next morning, Hellia watched Bijou carefully. It wasn't because she didn't believe the woman had a handle on her emotions, it was just a highly touchy situation and because Hellia didn't know how Bijou would react to seeing the man who had been the main player in the deaths of her family once again. The woman was a wildcard and one that Hellia wasn't sure she should allow to come too close to Mayor Greenly.
It wasn't until the trio had made their way to the town hall with a group of Rune Knights waiting for them that Hellia realized that the purplette was a lot more docile than she'd given her credit for. Bijou looked around, slightly panicked and as though she would bolt at any moment, making Hellia reach out and touch her arm reassuringly.
"It's okay," She soothed, hoping to calm the frantic woman. "He can't hurt you, he'd have to go through the Knights, not to mention Cobra and I. You're safe, Bijou." She used the woman's name, knowing that it would reach her a bit better than simply leaving it out.
Her words seemed to bring the desired effect as the lavender haired woman took several deep breaths and nodded, a newfound determination in her eyes. Hellia smiled back before she turned to Cobra who simply smirked at her. "Let's get this fucker," He ordered of the Knights, leading the small group into the town hall.
The giantess who ran the front desk stood up abruptly at the disturbance, her shrewd eyes going wide when none of those who had entered stopped on their way to the Mayor's office. She reached out to grab Cobra's arm as he attempted to shove the door open, "Don-"
Hellia gasped in shock after she'd moved past the two to open the door, her hand flying up to cover her mouth as she took an involuntary step back at the scene she was greeted with. She felt as though she was going to be violently ill, about to turn to try and push Bijou back as well. Her mind went blank, though, stopping her from even turning away from the despicable horror she was witnessing.
"You sick fuck," Cobra sneered, shaking off the tall woman as he charged into the room and ripped the shocked Greenly away from the young girl who had been on her knees before him. The maroon haired slayer had the mayor pinned to the wall by the throat, loud growls filling the room.
The Luck Mage snapped out of her state of shock, rushing over to crouch down beside the sobbing young girl who was gagging and coughing, drool leaking from the corner of her mouth. She didn't fight off the older woman when she wrapped her arms around her, helping her to her feet and sending a seething look at the man who had reduced the spirited young girl to this sorry state.
"Sir," One of the Knights began, cutting off when Hellia turned her burning gaze onto him. He gulped, standing up a little straighter in his place. "We need him to-"
"If you touch him, you're likely to die," Hellia informed the man, halting the other two Rune Knights as they reached out to do just that.
"Amethyst," Bijou breathed, reaching out for the young blonde who was in Hellia's arms. The girl seemed to be brought to her senses slightly by the sound of the woman's voice and let out a choking sob as she threw herself into Bijou's arms. "Shh," She soothed as she pet the girl's hair. "It's okay, we're here now." She looked up, a frown on her face when she looked at Hellia. "She lives just across the street."
"You," Hellia pointed to the Knight who had been speaking to her. "Go get her parents, tell them nothing. You two," She gestured to the two remaining Knights. "Detain that stupid bitch who let this happen. I'll handle-" She cut off at the sound of a squelching sound followed by a scream. "Him."
She didn't have to look to know that Cobra had done something particularly nasty to the now-sobbing Greenly, the faces of those in the room were all she needed. When they'd cleared out, she turned and saw that Cobra had cut off a particular piece of the man's anatomy and was apparently working on forcing it down his throat. Swallowing the bile in her throat, Hellia walked over and put a hand onto the slayer's arm, drawing his crazed gaze to her own.
"We need him alive," She spoke quietly, unsure of how Cobra would react to her ordering him around. There was a sizzling sound and the smell of burnt flesh reached her nose, making Hellia choke back more bile as she kept her gaze level with that of her slayer. "Let him go."
"He hasn't paid enough," Cobra responded. "Not after what he did. He needs to hurt more. He can't hurt anyone like that again."
Hellia caught onto the fact that Cobra was no longer seeming to be speaking about Greenly as she placed her hand on his cheek, stopping him from looking back at the man who was still grasped by one clawed hand around his throat. Her heart broke when she saw the pain in that single indigo eye, finally understanding that this man was hurt much worse by some events in his life than he ever let on to anyone. Someone had likely hurt him in this way- or worse- when he was younger and Hellia was torn between letting him purge this inner demon right there and stopping him because they needed the man alive.
She let out a sigh, knowing that it wouldn't be let go by the Magic Council if Cobra murdered the man that was already going to be taken into custody. "Let him go," She repeated as her thumb stroked the slayer's mocha cheek. "We need to take care of the girl."
Cobra looked torn before he finally let the man go, letting Greenly slump to the floor and cough up the piece of his own flesh as his hands grasped painfully between his legs. The maroon haired man narrowed his eye as he gave a rough kick to Greenly's stomach, smirking at the whimper that left his lips. "You're fucking lucky I won't go against my mate, fucker," He sneered, letting Hellia pull him away long enough for the Knights to come in and begin the procedure of detaining the mayor.
Hellia let out a breath when she saw two people holding onto Amethyst, the three of them having a tear-filled reunion. She hadn't realized that her day would be quite as eventful of that, though what she was expecting was something she didn't really know. Maybe she figured they would walk into the office, arrest Greenly, allow Bijou to give her statement to the Rune Knights, and then they would be on their way back to Magnolia. She laughed humorlessly at herself, shaking her head at her own thoughts. It was never that easy, honestly, especially with a man like Cobra around.
Her thoughts went to the pain she had seen in his eye, that haunted look that made her realize that someone had done something like what had been done to Amethyst to him when he'd been young. It made her stomach roll when she thought about that, thought about the man who was so strong in both will and physical strength being reduced to nothing but a plaything. It made her heart ache for the young boy he'd once been, made her want to hold onto the man he now was and never let him go.
Hellia knew that neither of those options would be welcomed, instead wrapping an arm around Cobra's waist and leaned her head onto his shoulder as they waited for both Bijou and Amethyst to give their statements to the Knights. This, she could do. She could give Cobra the sensitivity that he needed while still not looking at him any differently than she had before she'd known this horrific detail about his past. It would do more for him if she were to do that, would keep that trust that they'd been working on as a new couple over the past couple of weeks if she were to simply allow him to know she was there if he chose to talk about it and wouldn't be going anywhere if he didn't.
The gentle squeeze to her shoulder told Hellia that Cobra had heard that thought and she smiled, happy that he was grateful to her for the support she would give him. For now, they needed to focus on their trip back to the town they'd been avoiding for two weeks in hopes of keeping her away from the other two slayers and any temptation that they might provoke within the fated slayer mate.